Community Voz

In honor of ballots dropping this week, members of the Solidarity Economy Team tackle yet another word that has been co-opted by mainstream electoral processes: progressive. Also introducing our new Civic Engagement Coordinator Kira Munson! And candidate for Bellingham city council ward 1 Eamonn Collins stopped by our office for a completely different reason but we roped him into the podcast. Don&...

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez speak with Dahr Jamail about his latest book titled We Are the Middle of Forever: Indigenous Voices from Turtle Island on the Changing Earth. In reflecting on Dahr's career, the climate crisis, and settler colonialism, this episode seeks an answer to whom, in the midst of polycrisis, we are obligated and how we uphold these responsibilities. Check o...

In this episode, Fiona Martinez, from the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, provides a reportback of a celebration hosted by the WPJC for the International Day of Peace. You will hear about the events of the day, speeches from two award recipients, as well as a poem that Fiona wrote and recited at the event that encapsulated this year's theme of Transforming Justice. Music from the episode: B...

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Lucy Madrigal break down the importance of co-governance in their communities of Whatcom and Skagit counties respectively. Sharing their unique perspectives on the margin between community organizing and government responsibility, they provide insight into the upcoming election for city council and the platforms that they are cultivating. Support Liz and Lucy's...

In this episode, you will hear a compilation of audio from a webinar hosted by various statewide organizations in the collective formation of the Just Futures project. Featured here are the voices of C2C and Familias Unidas por la Justicia representatives who participated in the webinar.  Learn more about the Just Futures Project here. Music from the episode: Color of Autumn by Nujabes Ism by Heid...

In this episode, Edgar Franks, political director for Familias Unidas por la Justicia, gives an update on federal policy as it relates to farmworker justice. Also, Lucy Madrigal, Alfredo and Alia Juarez, and Beatriz Godinez give a reportback about a recent solidarity march in support of HR 1511, which will update the registry bill from the 1970s to include 8 million additional undocumented people...

On August 6th, 2023, Community to Community Development, Nikkei Northwest, the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, and Whiteswan Environmental collaborated on a community walk through what is now known as Bellingham's Old Town.  The purpose of the walk was to educate participants about all of the racial violence and oppression that are a part of the history of this place, and to acknowledge the...

In this episode, Liz Darrow, Sophia Rey, Elias Lopez, and Brenda Bentley talk about the latest IAB meeting and the major setbacks that are currently being felt. In this conversation, anger is examined as a center of productive strength as we navigate a contentious relationship with city officials. Resources from the episode: The Uses of Anger by Audre Lorde Letter written to the mayor and city cou...

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Rosalinda Guillen speak with Shirley Williams and Sandy Fugami about an upcoming walk that will take place on August 6th to remember Honesto Ibarra, a farmworker who died working in unsafe conditions. The conversation weaves together narratives of displacement and assimilation that are felt similarly among many marginalized communities in Whatcom County. From Honest...

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez talk with Sonja Lerner, a member of the No Whatcom Jails abolitionist group, as well as Josh Cerretti and Aline Prata from the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, about the current organizing efforts that surround the proposal to build a new jail for Whatcom County. As we explore the historical and ideological foundations of this proposal, we open up new...

In this episode, Liz Darrow speaks with housing advocates about a new plan to get everyone in our community housed. They call it The Big Lift. An important function of this episode is to contextualize this new housing platform within the shifting political scene of Bellingham. As we face upcoming changes to civic leadership with this new election cycle, it is an important time to ask ourselves wha...

In this episode, Rosalinda Guillen, with the rest of the Community to Community leadership team, guides us through the white supremacist forces that shape local civic engagement. While engagement looks different for everyone, these forces often invalidate and silence marginalized communities. Out of this framework, Community to Community endorses Liz Darrow and Lucy Madrigal in the race for Bellin...

In this episode, Liz, Edgar, Tara, and Lucy discuss the inequity of the ongoing conversation about climate change, as well as how we might challenge dominant narratives about climate doom. Music from this episode: My Island Home by Jessica Mauboy Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys Us by Ruby Ibarra Further Resources: Rise: From One Island to Another  Support the show

In this episode, we chat with Isabella James, from Children of the Setting Sun Productions' Young & Indigenous podcast, about the ongoing work of CSSP, the use of land acknowledgments in our community, and our capacity to build lasting relationships between communities. Check out the Young & Indigenous podcast here ! Book recommendation from this episode: Jesintel by Children of the S...

Liz Darrow and Sophia Rey, two members of the Immigration Advisory Board, discuss the hypocrisy of local government and the use of the word "collaboration." This episode is for those wanting an update on the struggle to fund an immigrant resource center in the city of Bellingham, as well as for those feeling exhausted by the labor of making change in a bureaucratic system that seeks to u...

En este episodio, las promotoras hablan sobre la Marcha Campesina 2023, sus experiencias, la caminata, y la gente del movimiento. Canciones en este episodio: Coplas de Arcadio Hidalgo de Los Folkloristas Niños Campesinos de El Teatro Campesino Justicia, Tierra y Libertad de Maná Don't Put Me Down (If I'm Brown) de El Chicano  Support the show

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez collect audio on the ground at the 2023 Marcha Campesina. Through an assortment of audio, the events of the day will unfold through interviews with attendees and organizers, as well as testimonies from workers.   Here are a few important resources mentioned in the episode: nogrocerymerger.com Mount Baker Roofing - (360) 733 0191  Call to demand they stop...

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez talk with Bellingham based community organizers about a new city-wide ordinance criminalizing public drug use that just went into effect. We analyze the disproportionate impacts this new ordinance will have on unhoused and BIPOC communities. Referenced in this episode: So You're Thinking About Becoming an Abolitionist  by Mariame Kaba  Give the Poli...

In this episode, Liz Darrow and Elias Lopez talk with the C2C Artivism Team about the experience of making art for social change. Through the challenges and rewards, creativity never fails to strengthen community.  Music from the episode: Re Fresh by Common Market System Virtue by Emma Paki Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton Watch the CAGJ Art and Activism Webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...

In this episode, Jill Mangaliman from On the Frontlines reports back from a rally at Founders Day in Seattle and we talk with several workers at Starbucks for an update on contract negotiations and working conditions. You can support the Relief Fund for PNW Starbucks Workers here . Learn more about Starbucks Workers United here . Listen to Hailey's picket line playlist here . Songs in this ep...

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Una delegación de campesin@s con las Promotoras de Whatcom y Skagit participaron en el décimo año del tribunal campesin@. Las promotoras de C2C reflejan sus experiencias y hacen un repaso de este gran evento. Canciones en este programa: De Paisano a Paisana de Los Tigres del Norte Lágrimas Del Corazón de Grupo Montéz de Durango Mariposa de Barrio de Jenni Rivera Support the show

The 10th annual Farmworker Tribunal took place in Olympia, WA on March 14th, 2023. In this episode, co-producers Elias Lopez and Liz Darrow discuss some of the traditions observed at this tribunal and play for you audio from the tribunal itself, including declarations from farmworkers and reactions from witnesses who came to observe and commit to supporting the next ten years of farmworker organiz...

In this episode we welcome Elias Lopez, the newest co-producer on CommunityVOZ! Elias and Liz talk with Morgan Nichols and Edgar Franks about all the different ways to find a "home", communities where we feel a sense of safety and belonging, from our families to political spaces to landscapes. We also talk about the 10th Annual Farmworker Tribunal in Olympia and a recent campaign launch...

More than 56% of people living in Bellingham are renters, and there is no such thing here as permanently affordable housing. In this episode, Tara Villalba of the Bellingham Tenant's Union and Rebecca Quirke from Tenant's Revolt join us to talk about the housing crisis and what is being done (and not done) and the local and state level. Music in this episode: Faucets Are Dripping by Malv...